A DRAFT bill before the NSW Parliament aimed at tightening State meat labelling and description laws could "set the industry back 20 years" if not changed, says Meat and Livestock Australia's David Thomason.
The legislation, introduced last year into NSW Parliament by Northern Tablelands Independent MP Richard Torbay, was up to its third draft this week as closed-door meetings tried to strike agreement over its content between Mr Torbay and the Red Meat Advisory Council.
If what has become known as the 'Torbay Bill' is passed in NSW Parliament, some fear that the laws could go national.
Low-cost supermarket chain, Aldi, which sources much of its beef from the Bindaree Beef plant at Inverell, has apparently told Mr Torbay it would introduce the labelling system if passed at the NSW level.
Mr Torbay said this week he wanted the legislation passed by Christmas.
"The reaction I've had from consumers has been like a volcano. The public support for this was underestimated."
The main driver behind his move to change labelling and description is Sydney solicitor and lobbyist Norman Hunt, who is closely aligned with John 'JR' McDonald, the head of the Bindaree Beef processing business located within Mr Torbay's electorate.
While the maverick Australian Beef Association has supported the Torbay proposal, there has been a stark absence of support from any other significant red meat industry stakeholders across the supply chain, from producer level to retail, outside the New England district.
The Torbay Bill could govern the use of potentially confusing words such as 'budget' and introduce other phrases such as 'old'.
Eight-tooth cows were 'old' and most of this material currently ends up as mince.
Some, however, became 'budget steaks', critics suggest, being popular for price-conscious catering events.
This was not inappropriate, unless incorrectly labelled as prime cuts.
MLA last week disputed claims made in the Sydney press that up to 30pc of beef sold in Australia was 'old cow meat' repackaged as prime product.
This led to 350 NSW butchers putting their names to an MLA-funded newspaper advertisement labelling the allegation a "load of bull".
"The quality of beef that we sell in Australia has never been better and continues to improve, and we don't want ill-informed regulation to get in the way of that," the advertisement said.
Mr Thomason, MLA's general manager of marketing, said the amount of deceptive labelling in the meat industry had been overstated and he criticised the Torbay Bill in its existing form.
"To label mince 'low' or 'old quality', which is the latest version of the Torbay proposal, is a ridiculous proposition," he said.
"There are many factors that affect quality, age being just one.
"An older animal raised in better conditions actually eats better than a yearling raised in adverse conditions."
The Australian Beef Association said the industry needed beef grading.
Processors claiming it would add to their costs were really saying, 'we won't be able to mislabel low quality beef and pass it off as good quality,' an ABA source said.
A meeting between Mr Torbay and the Red Meat Advisory Council on Thursday could produce some major amendments to his Bill, making it more 'industry friendly', some stakeholders suggested this week.
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